• Workouts often start and fail in the planning (or lack thereof) stage. Therefore, before you hit the Lululemon store and get the latest and greatest cross-training shoes, ask yourself the "what, why and for whom" do you want to accomplish this for. Simply put, for a wellness (diet and exercise) program to be successful, one needs a specific goal (lose weight, tone up, etc.) and a clear course of action (the right program) to fit their lifestyle and budget. Last, but not least, MAKE SURE YOU ARE DOING THIS FOR YOURSELF, and not someone else (be that your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend). Doing it for someone else will leave you feeling resentful and unfulfilled and ultimately sabotage and undermine the possibility of realizing your wellness goals. So, once you've satisfactorily answered the "what, why and for whom," you need to set a realistic goal and timeline to accomplish that goal.

• One of my biggest gym pet peeves is watching someone execute an exercise improperly or, worst yet, watching someone performing an exercise that isn't appropriate for their body type and/or objectives. It takes every bit of self-restraint not to walk up to someone doing a squat or a lunge with thei...